This is the Dream

Picture books brings Black History to life

BookPage® Review by Lynn Beckwith

Sometimes it is difficult to find books about civil rights that can be read comfortably by the youngest reader, but This is the Dream, written by Diane Z. Shore and Jessica Alexander and illustrated by James Ransome, fits the bill. The authors have created a clear and concise poem following a simple rhythm that illuminates the milestones of civil rights history, from Jim Crow to the present. Ransome's understated, powerful collage illustrations bring together iconic images from newspapers with the faces of lesser-known people who bravely put themselves in harm's way to demand change. Ransome does not shy away from including unpleasant pictures of the time, especially the angry looks on the faces of white people. When the time shifts to the present, the colors change to warm blues as we see a water fountain, this time being shared by all: This is the fountain that stands in the square,/and the unwritten rule is to take turns and share.